Monthly Archives: July 2016

Helping children during a difficult time in their lives. That’s what USIA Angels is all about. In this post, we have the very special distinction of making the acquaintance of a remarkable little girl named Sophie Abernathy. We could tell you her story, but that job is best accomplished by Sophie’s dad, Jason…

We knew something was off when Sophie was about 6 months old. She hadn’t rolled over yet and could barely lift her head. She couldn’t even sit up until about 9 months old. When she did, we started to notice she would slump in one direction. It was around this time that her pediatrician diagnosed her with muscle hypotonia, or low muscle tone (the amount of tension or resistance to stretch in a muscle). After all the really bad stuff was eliminated (spinabifida, MS, etc.), it was found that she had a rare genetic mutation called 16p11.2 chromosomal deletion that caused the hypotonia. We started physical therapy (among other additional therapies) right away, but around 12 months old, she was diagnosed with progressive infantile scoliosis. At about 13 months old she was put in a Risser/Mehta cast that covered most of her torso from the hips to below the armpits. Funny as it sounds, I think getting the cast was harder on us than it was on her. She just accepted it and didn’t let it slow her down, but my wife and I knew she absolutely loved being in the water. It was killing us because we were certain that the next few summers would be spent indoors, with the occasional break at the lake or beach in between castings.

Back in March was when I found the USIA Angels website and immediately sent an email. Everyone at USIA has been so helpful answering my questions and especially in helping me size the gaskets. Here are a few pictures of her the first time she wore the dry suit. She loved horsing around with her friends in the kiddie pool and could not get enough of sliding down the inflatable water slide and going face first into the splash-down pool.

My wife and I aren’t the only ones that appreciate the dry suit though. We used the suit again this past weekend and had it hanging in her bathroom to dry. After she was done brushing her teeth, she looked up and saw the suit hanging over the curtain rod. She excitedly pointed up to it and said “Puhpuh (purple) suit!!!” I said “Yeah! That’s your purple suit!” to which she responded by turning around with a huge grin on her face and said “I love my puhpuh suit!” To which I responded by very nearly falling over laughing. She turned off the light and walked out of the bathroom, but then she stopped in the hall, turned around and said “Good night puhpuh suit,” and blew the suit a kiss. Next to the day she was born, that suit has given us some of the happiest memories with Sophie that my wife and I can recall. We look forward to getting many more uses out of it, and we’ll be sure to send more pictures. Again, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Sincerely,

Jason, Kelly, Sophie, and baby Lucas.

No need to thank us, Jason. Your beautiful words describing how much Sophie loves her suit are more than thanks enough.

Have you seen the video? It’s a terrifyingly grainy shot of a man walking close to the waterline on the shore of some unidentified beach. He’s causually strolling one second and then the next second, a giant orca comes crashing from the surf, snatches the man, and begins heading back to sea. The footage is graphic. The footage is horrifying. The footage is fake. Though the special effects are stunningly realistic, it doesn’t take a graphic artist’s eye to know it couldn’t be real. Why? Because, in the wild, Orca don’t attack people.

In captivity, it is a wholly different story. Orca are highly mobile creatures, and in the wild they swim up to 100 miles a day. In tiny tanks, they don’t have the same freedom of movement, and they begin to suffer both mentally and physically. That’s why we see numerous instances of orca harming people and even themselves as a way to cope with captivity. However, out in nature, the large predatory animals do not consider us food. Simply put, they don’t kill people.

Nevertheless, there have been stories that have documented what some people would constitute attacks. First we have to deal with the fake stories, like the one out of Japan that told of a fishing boat that was besieged by a pod of aggressive orca. The story ends by stating that 16 fishermen were killed. A quick fact check proves the story to be false, just another spoof put out there by so-called ‘humorous’ fake news websites.

Despite the fake stories of orca attacks on people, there have been documented accounts of actual encounters that have left the witnesses with pounding hearts. Here are two of them:

Killer whale swarm attacks fishing boat with father, daughter off Newfoundland coast
A 67 year old man who says he’s been fishing in Newfoundland waters all his life and never saw an orca got a close encounter he will never forget. Out for a day of angling, he and his dog and his daughter never thought they’d be surrounded and almost capsized by the ocean going mammals. But that’s what he said happened. He said the orca were persistent in ramming his boat with their bodies, nearly tipping them over. After a while, the orca simply lost interest and swam away.

Did a Wild Orca Really Attack a Diver in New Zealand?
This incident occurred in New Zealand, where a young freediver was hunting crayfish and sea urchins and placing his catch in a bag he had attached to his arm by a rope. Without warning, he felt something grab his bag. Before he had the chance to do anything, he was being dragged down to the depths. It took a few seconds for him to realize he was being attacked by an orca. At least he thought it was an attack. After about 40 seconds, the rope came loose and the diver was able to resurface.

What was happening in these stories? Were they actual attacks where the orcas intended on killing and eating humans? Those who work with and study orca are skeptical. Most scientists think the behavior exhibited in these stories is classic hunting techniques that the orcas use on seals and sea lions. Other orca love to dine on smaller fish. Simply put, orcas do not eat people. Period.

The fact that orca do not eat people is common knowledge. It’s so commonly known that there’s even a Tlingit legend about it. So while it might be exciting to call orca killer whales, and to tell tall tales about their ferociousness, the reputation doesn’t stand up to the actual truth. Unless you are a seal, a fish, or an unfortunate sea lion, orca are not killer whales.

That headline might just be one of the silliest ever created. What kids doesn’t love the water, right? There’s no denying it: kids are born to splash. And while we parents scramble to make sure they are being as safe as imaginable, it’s almost impossible to keep our kids away from the lake, river, or ocean.
While we at USIA would never advocate putting your child in a dangerous position, we also understand that there are a lot of precocious pre-teens out there who can give even the most hardened adventurer a run for his/her money. We scoured the net for some of the most entertaining videos of kids partaking in their waterborne adventures. Here are some of the best…

What is the strangest thing you have found on the end of your fishing line? A boot? An old record player? What about something more sinister…and deadly? We go fishing to relax and enjoy life, but when we reel in something strange, or dangerous, it can put a damper on what was formerly a pleasant day. We’re not talking about everyday items or plain old garbage. We’re talking about really dangerous things that can really harm (or kill) you. What is it you say? You are a skeptic? You don’t believe a leisurely afternoon at the fishing hole can yield a deadly catch? Read on…

Surprised U.S fisherman catches world’s most dangerous shark half a mile inland
We’ll start with this story, one that doesn’t sound all too remarkable until you really dive into the details. First, the angler in question was not in the ocean. In fact, he was in the Potomac River, a half mile away from the sea. Second, instead of reeling in some nice cow-nosed rays like he was expecting, he managed to land what National Geographic has deemed the world’s most dangerous shark, the bull shark.

Man catches 200 year-old rifle while fishing
Next is the story of Fond du Lac fisherman Ray Groff, who was fishing on Lake Winnebago when he caught what could be a 200 year old flintlock rifle buried in the mud as he pulled up his boat anchor. It is possible he found an early English trade gun, possibly from 1720-1760. If it is truly original, it’s exceedingly rare and Mr. Groff has himself a once in a lifetime discovery. Very few guns from that period, even though they were imported by the thousands, survive today. It begs the question: why did the first owner drop it?

Fisherman Who Reeled In Bomb: ‘I Thought It Was A Big Fish’
As we go further in this post, the lethalness of the items found while fishing is increasing. For example, the next story takes us to Colorado, where an unidentified man caught a lot more than he was expecting when he cast his line at Barr Lake State Park. The really dangerous part is when he reeled it in, he picked up the bomb, not knowing what it was. Later, when authorities detonated the device (which looked like a pipebomb) he realized how close he had come to being seriously injured.

Old tank round evacuates Canon City neighborhood
When was the last time you went fishing and what you caught was so scary that it cleared out a whole neighborhood? Never, you say? Just be glad you aren’t John Hackworth, a 22-year-old Canon City, Colorado, resident (what the heck is going on in Colorado?). Hackworth should consider himself lucky to be alive after finding a tank round in the water and banging it around with a shovel. Then, in another fit of genius, he took the ordinance to his parents’ home, prompting his mother to call 911 and further prompting the police to evacuate 19 homes in the area.

Fisherman hooks 8-foot missile, brings it to Madeira Beach
Not to be outdone by any of the other stories in this post. A missile has to be one of the most terrifying things to see at the end of your fishing line. That’s exactly what Rodney Salomon-Prudo found while fishing for grouper off the coast of Florida. After reeling in the large weapon, Rodney did what any commercial fisherman would do: he strapped the missile to the top of his boat and kept fishing—for 14 days. He thought the missile was inert. He was wrong. Luckily, he’s fine, and has a heck of a fishing story to tell.

When you go fishing, you have a few expectations. You expect to have a good time. You expect to share your day with your buddies. You expect to relax and enjoy nature. One of the least things you expect is to turn from predator into prey. While we don’t think we should be entitled to a catch every time we cast our lines, we also don’t think something is going to catch us. Though many of us know fishing can be dangerous at times, these unwitting anglers found out the hard way that sometimes mother nature can turn on us, and when it does, look out!

Angry fish knocks stupid guy out

Big Fish Scares The Carp Out Of Reporter

Girl gets knocked out by fish

Fish hits grandma in the face

Fish hits man’s Family Jewels

Fisherman gets slapped in face by a carp

SCARY! Big Fish Attacks a Man

Flying fish are no joke, although we like to laugh at these videos. There have been instances when people have been seriously injured, knocked out, and even killed by large breaching fish. So yes, we are having a bit of fun here, but we in no way are making light of those who have been tragically taken by this sort of thing.